For Local Pastors Desiring to be Associate Members of the

Oklahoma Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church

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The Oklahoma Board of Ordained Ministry will assess the following information in scheduled personal interviews in considering your request for associate membership in our Conference. The following must be submitted on time and in proper form as outlined below:

  1. The Personal Information Sheet
  2. Your Doctrinal Statements
  3. Your sermon with bibliography, theology of worship, DVD and worship bulletin.
  4. Your plan and outline for teaching a book of the Bible from the list provided.
  5. Your assessment for ministry from your local Pastor (Staff) Parish Relations Committee
  6. Your assessment for ministry from your District Superintendent
  7. Your assessment for ministry from your Senior Pastor if serving on a multi-clergy staff.
  8. Your completed Medical Exam Form
  9. Official transcripts (no copies) from college and Basic Course of Study
  10. The results of psychological testing and assessment with Southwest Career Development Center. All provisional candidates are to have this assessment for the examination
  11. Minister’s Biographical Data Form #102
  12. Complete one copy of Candidate’s Disclosure Form #114

·In addition to these, the Board may seek and/or use other information or ask other questions during the interview process. If you have questions contact your Registrar. Contact information can be found at bottom of the Board of Ordained Ministry Web site.

Submission Format

All submissions shall be distributed through Andrew Miller, () - Assistant for Ministerial Services

Requirements for all candidate documents/submissions:

  1. All documents should utilize a basic MLA formatting style. There are many resources on the internet to assist with this task for those unfamiliar with MLA.
  2. Documents must be in either a Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.
  3. Most importantly, label your files with the date and a clear heading for what the document is, and your name. We have developed a simple yet significant way of organizing our records electronically, and we ask that all documents be labeled as follows:

The name of the document file should be based on this:

(full year) underscore_(month in two digits)underscore_(day in two digits) space (Title) space (Name).doc

Example of a sermon manuscript dated for November 1st of 2009, would be:

2009_11_01 Sermon Andrew Miller.doc

E-mail should be utilized for everything possible, for anything else that you cannot either fill out electronically, or scan into a PDF, you can mail to the Assistant for Ministerial Services at the Conference Office.

If possible, please put sermon video and/or audio on a “data” DVD or CD. We do not need it to be able to play in a standard DVD or CD player, but rather we will be pulling it straight off of the disc to be uploaded into our secure online database.

If there are any problems, questions, comments, or suggestions, contact:

Andrew Miller - , (405) 530-2084

1. Personal Information Sheet

Request for Associate Membership in the Oklahoma Conference

Date ______

Full Name ______

Age______Birthdate ______

Mailing Address______

Telephone Numbers: Home______Church______

Cell______

Email Addresses ______

Home Church______District ______

Conference ______

High School and location______

College and location ______

Course of Study and location______

2. DOCTRINAL STATEMENTS

Place your name and page number on the upper right-hand corner of EVERY page you submit! Type each question and give your answer. Each answer should be long enough to give us an understanding of your theology and tell us you have dealt seriously with the question. No textbook answers, please. Your paper should be no longer than 28 pages in length. Any pages beyond 28 will not be considered for assessment. Your paper is to follow MLA Format, double-spaced. Include a formal bibliography to your doctrinal statement. Your doctrinal questions are below.

3. SERMON

Submit your order of worship/bulletin; please state how the order relates to your understanding of the theology of worship and preaching. Attach a bibliography. Be sure your name is on each page. Choose one of the following sermon texts: John 20: 1-8; Matthew 7: 21-29; Genesis 3; Romans 12:1-12; I Corinthians 11:17-35, or Mark 1:1-11. Submit a manuscript of the sermon with attached bibliography, 1 DVD of the worship service where this sermon was actually preached. Do not read the manuscript (unless that is your style). We are interested in hearing you preach! We realize that the spoken and the written sermons may differ somewhat.

4. TEACHING MINISTRY

Present a plan and outline for teaching a Bible study from the list below. Your plan and outline must be double-spaced and between 5 to 10 pages in length. Include a bibliography. Your Bible study must include the following:

-- Course Outline: How many sessions, length of sessions and topics for discussion

-- Target Audience: Age, gender and number of people in the target group

-- Objectives: What are the learning objectives? Please list the learning objectives at the beginning of the study.

Please provide detailed lesson plans for at least 3 sessions including time plan, teaching technique, resources used (bibliography) and class setting.

Bible study options: Genesis 1-9; Exodus 1-20; Contrast Psalms of Lament with Psalms of Praise; Daniel 1-6; Matthew 1-2 and 21-28; I and II Timothy or Revelation 2-3.

5. ASSESSMENT FOR MINISTRY FROM PPRC (SPRC) & SENIOR PASTOR (IF APPLICABLE)

This form is online. It is your responsibility to be sure your PPRC (SPRC) completes this form and returns it to the Assistant for Ministerial Services.

6. ASSESSMENT FOR MINISTRY FROM DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT

This form is online. It is your responsibility to be sure your District Superintendent completes this form and returns it to to the Assistant for Ministerial Services.

7. OTHER INFORMATION

It is your responsibility to be sure that your Medical Exam Form, your Official Transcripts, and your Psychological Tests are completed by the appropriate people and returned to the Assistant for Ministerial Services. EKG’s are only needed if ordered by your physician.

8. MINISTER’S BIOGRAPHICAL DATA, Form 102

Found on the General Board’s site at Candidacy Forms

Please submit this form to the Assistant for Ministerial Services.

9. CANDIDATE’S DISCLOSURE FORM, Form 114

Found on the General Board’s site atCandidacy Forms

Complete one copy of Form #114, if not previously provided to the Board

DOCTRINAL QUESTIONS

For Those Seeking Associate Membership

in the Oklahoma Conference of The United Methodist Church

  1. Describe your personal experience of God and the understanding of God you derive from biblical, theological and historical sources.
  2. What is your understanding of evil as it exists in the world?
  3. What is your understanding of humanity, and the human need for divine grace?
  4. How do you interpret the statement ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’?
  5. The United Methodist Church holds that Scripture, tradition, experience, and reason are sources and norms for belief and practice but that the Bible is primary among them. What is your understanding of this theological position of the Church?
  6. How do you understand the following traditional evangelical doctrines: (a) repentance; (b) justification; (c) regeneration; and (d) sanctification? What are the marks of the Christian life?
  7. What is your understanding of the Kingdom of God; the Resurrection; eternal life?
  8. What is your conception of the activity of the Holy Spirit in personal faith, in the community of believers, and in responsible living in the world?
  9. What is the role and significance of the Sacraments in your ministry? Define each sacrament, its praxis in the community of faith, and the constraints of the ministry of the Local Pastor when it comes to the sacraments.
  10. Do you believe in and will you practice infant Baptism?
  11. What is your understanding of the expectations and obligations of the itinerant system? Do you offer yourself without reserve to be appointed and to serve as the appointive authority may determine?
  12. What is your understanding of the differences of the ministry of the Local Pastor and the ministry of the Ordained Elder?
  13. You have agreed as a candidate for the sake of the mission of Jesus Christ in the world and the most effective witness of the gospel, and in consideration of your influence as ministers, to make a complete dedication of yourself of the highest ideals of the Christian life; as set forth in ¶304.2, and to this end will you agree to exercise responsible self-control by personal habits conducive to bodily health, mental and emotional maturity, integrity in all personal relationships, fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness, social responsibility, and growth in grace and knowledge and love of God? (¶ 304.2,.3) What is your understanding of this agreement?
  14. Are you willing to minister with all persons without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, social status, gender, sexual orientation, age, economic condition or disabilities?
  15. Will you regard all pastoral conversations of a confessional nature as a trust between the person concerned and God?
  16. What is your call to ministry?
  17. How do you perceive yourself, your gifts, your motives, your role, and your commitment as an Associate Member and Local Pastor of the United Methodist Church?
  18. Mismanagement of personal finances may detract from your effectiveness as an Associate Member. Are you presently in debt so as to interfere with your work, or have you obligations to others, which will make it difficult for you to live on the compensation you may receive?
  19. Will you encourage or discourage the use of United Methodist literature and curriculum in the churches you serve? Explain.

11/17/18